DESCRIPTION Hi, my name is Wesley. I'm 16 years old and going to be a sophomore at Concord Academy. I've taken a year of Freshman Biology, and my interest in the subject has taken me here. By gaining knowledge from this course, I hope to further develop my interest both through research and future programs/classes.
PROJECT - Creating/finding bacteria that could live on Mars
-----Mars is tricky to work with because the atmosphere’s low pressure and extreme temperatures, as well as the climate and elemental makeup, which presents challenges for life to be formed and sustained. We chose to start by looking at data regarding Mars’ atmosphere and climate. We then chose to look at existing bacteria on Earth which have been able to survive under pretty harsh environments, similar to what you might find on Mars. We started looking into extremophiles, bacteria that can live in environments with extreme conditions, including extreme temperatures and high acidity levels, and can live with lack of essential resources such as oxygen or nutrients. Some of these extremophiles include: xenophiles, that can reproduce with low availability of water, psychrophiles, that live in really low temperatures, radioresistant bacteria, that have high resistance to UV rays, oligotrophs, that can reproduce with low levels of nutrients, anaerobe, that do not require oxygen for growth, hypolith, that live under rocks and in extreme deserts, and while there are some others which we researched, endoliths, which can live between cracks and rocks, and cyanobacteria which can photosynthesize. Endoliths and cyanobacteria are the main two we chose to focus on because there have actually been theories that these two types of extremophiles may live on Mars, given their capabilities to live in harsh environments. Let’s start with endoliths.
-----So where on Earth might you find endoliths? Well not on Earth but rather in Earth.... See, the interesting thing about endoliths is that they can be found miles beneath Earth’s surface! While it may seem quite ridiculous for something to live that deep within the Earth’s crust, so are their capabilities to survive in extreme locations. One type of endolith called deep-biosphere endoliths can be found living with temperatures skyward of 100o C, but also downwards of about up to -15o C. However, the temperature of Mars has a colder atmosphere, which can range from 20o C to -120o C. This is where cryptoendoliths could shine stronger, as they reside in one of the coldest parts of Earth; Antarctica. They utilize the heat of the sun to melt ice, so they can get their energy from water. It is possible with all the ice on Mars that these cryptoendoliths could survive.
-----In terms of cyanobacteria, we reasoned that the best example would be Chroococcidiopsis they can survive with low levels of nutrients, lots of exposure to UV rays, low oxygen intake, and they can also photosynthesize. In fact, the most mars-like area on Earth, dry valleys in Antarctica, contain these bacteria. The place is near the south pole where the o-zone is the weakest, meaning the most UV rays coming down. The place is also dry, very cold, and have practically no nutrients in the soil. It has even been theorized that these Chroococcidiopsis live on Mars, but they are yet to be found.
-----So to answer the question, there is no need to combine traits of bacteria, when there are already a couple if not more examples of bacteria that may be able to survive on Mars as is.
Hi, my name is Wesley. I'm 16 years old and going to be a sophomore at Concord Academy. I've taken a year of Freshman Biology, and my interest in the subject has taken me here. By gaining knowledge from this course, I hope to further develop my interest both through research and future programs/classes.
PROJECT - Creating/finding bacteria that could live on Mars
-----Mars is tricky to work with because the atmosphere’s low pressure and extreme temperatures, as well as the climate and elemental makeup, which presents challenges for life to be formed and sustained. We chose to start by looking at data regarding Mars’ atmosphere and climate. We then chose to look at existing bacteria on Earth which have been able to survive under pretty harsh environments, similar to what you might find on Mars. We started looking into extremophiles, bacteria that can live in environments with extreme conditions, including extreme temperatures and high acidity levels, and can live with lack of essential resources such as oxygen or nutrients. Some of these extremophiles include: xenophiles, that can reproduce with low availability of water, psychrophiles, that live in really low temperatures, radioresistant bacteria, that have high resistance to UV rays, oligotrophs, that can reproduce with low levels of nutrients, anaerobe, that do not require oxygen for growth, hypolith, that live under rocks and in extreme deserts, and while there are some others which we researched, endoliths, which can live between cracks and rocks, and cyanobacteria which can photosynthesize. Endoliths and cyanobacteria are the main two we chose to focus on because there have actually been theories that these two types of extremophiles may live on Mars, given their capabilities to live in harsh environments. Let’s start with endoliths.
PRESENTATION
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wOawimAtWoVd2zIeuGOvxk0ZzUiP_LzH-jS3NkWZ7tQ/edit#slide=id.g1167a0f8de_0_17